"Tokenism has burst upon us like a thunderstorm" - MP Richard Drax dismisses women in Westminster

SOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax says David Cameron's reshuffle is "tokenism" and that the women promoted to the cabinet are "venturing out of their depth".

In a post on his blog he calls the reshuffle the "Night of the Petticoats" and says the women have only been promoted to meet a quota.

He writes: "Tokenism has burst upon us like a thunderstorm.

"First, I have no problem with women getting top jobs. But, they, like their male counterparts, must get there on merit, and not just because they are women and a quota needs to be filled by 2015."

He adds: "Perhaps it would be wiser to tackle the shallow end first, before venturing out of your depth."

Among the nine women promoted last week were Nicky Morgan, the new education secretary, Liz Truss, the new environment secretary, and Esther McVey, the Employment Minister.

Other newly promoted female MPs include Portsmouth's Penny Mordaunt, the new local government minister, Claire Perry, the new rail minister and Priti Patel, the new Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.

Mr Drax also criticised the Recall Bil, which would let voters recall their MPs if they have engaged in "serious wrongdoing".

Mr Drax said: "Before the Night of the Petticoats, as it’s being dubbed, the Queen’s Speech referred to a recall Bill.

"This was a knee-jerk reaction to various shenanigans by a tiny handful of MPs whose conduct was brought into question.

"I fear the system would be open to abuse, with petitions being sought on deeply contentious issues, or on vexatious or politically-motivated grounds."

terra firma wrote:
Hate to admit it, but the dreaded Drax has gone up in my estimation

He doesn't appear to voice any similar concerns about Sajid Javid MP (elected 2010 and now Secretary of State). Or is it only the women who are out of their depth?

[quote][p][bold]terra firma[/bold] wrote:
Hate to admit it, but the dreaded Drax has gone up in my estimation[/p][/quote]He doesn't appear to voice any similar concerns about Sajid Javid MP (elected 2010 and now Secretary of State). Or is it only the women who are out of their depth?CaughtJester

I totally agree with Drax on this one, a lot of women in senior positions are there because the government have recommended that companies have a minimum of 25% women in the board room. Now surely recommendations of this sort don't help companies get the best person for the job.

I totally agree with Drax on this one, a lot of women in senior positions are there because the government have recommended that companies have a minimum of 25% women in the board room. Now surely recommendations of this sort don't help companies get the best person for the job.Naturalised southerner